Drying-kiln



(No Model.)

- G.P.SPEER.

DRYING KILN.

Patented Jan. 10,1882.

To all whom it may concern; i

will,"

I UNITED STATES cope PATENT OFFICE.

DRYlNG-KlLN.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 252,272, dated January 10, 1882.

Application filed Novembtr 5, (No model.)

Be it known that I, GARRETT F. SPEER, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful 1m provclnentsin Drying-Kilns",

and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and. exact description of the invention, which will enable others 'skilled'in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, reference 'hein g had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is avertical central section of my improved kiln, or drier. Fig.2 is a plan or top view of the same with the roof removed. Fig.

3 is detail of the nozzle andgutter. I I

The same part is indicated by the same let'- ter wherever it occurs in the drawings. I

The object ot'.n 1y-..invention is to provide an economical and eflicient apparatus applicable to all the purposes to which 'driers are commonlyappliet l, from the drying of lumber in large kilns to the drying'of fruits in smaller chambers.

The principle of my invention consists in using the same cold air which produces the circulationjn the drying-chamber to cool the condensing-surfaces which extractthe moisture and give direction to the air-currents, and in the saving of heat by the indefinitely repeated heating, circulation, and drying of the same air and its confinement in the kiln until a predetermined limit of pressure has been reached and a relieving-valve opened.

My invention consists in confining the mat- I ters to be dried in a close chamber'heated by air passing around and between steam-pipes,

and forcing into said chamber, by means of a:

condensing-fan or air-pump, atmosphericair through'a broad flat metallic'tuyere or nozzle,

"whose surface forms a condenser upon which the injected air, after bein g heated by passing betweenv steam -,pipes and circulating among ."the matters to-be dried and depriving them of their moisture, impinges and parts with the water it has-absorbed, and is again'heated, circulated, and dried, the operation being con-' reached, all as hereinafter more specifically set "fort h In the accompanying drawings, which rep-. resent a lumber-drying kiln with myimprovo ment,.S marks the walls or sides of the kiln:

R, the roof; (3, the chimney; and V, the relief or safety valve, loaded to any desired limit of y pressure. I V I I K is the dryingchamber, having sliding doors D ateithcr end for the cntrah'ce and exit of cars bearing lumber. The. floor-of this chamberis composedof the longitudinal steampipes P, communicating at the ends with the a nozzle, N, which is flattenedand broadened as it approaches and enters the kiln in the manner represented -in Fig.2, the area of the 1102-. zle being the same at the delivery and as at its junction with the fan. The part of the nozzle within the kiln is equal in width to the width of the kiln, and has a downward inclination, as shown in Fig. 1. Its lower margin forms a gutter connecting by trapped pipe-:0 with a well or tank, W.- The delivery-opening of the nozzle is below the gutter G, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The operation is as follows:'The lumberbeing introduced into chamber K and the steam let into the pipes P, the fan F is set. in. operaair thus laden with moisture comes into con- I tact withthe upper surface of the flattened metallic' nozzle N, which is kept at alow temperature by the cold air constantly flowing through it. The air thus dried and partially cooled descends into chamber A, and is-again driven along with the entering current, again heated, I

loaded with moisture, and relieved of it by condensation as before, the operation being indefinitel y repeated, and the water of condensation 2 seem/2 running off by gutter G and trapped pipe 0 inceaseless flow of the air into the revolving cur-- rents indicated by the arrows, the work can be done at a much lower temperature than in kilns of the ordinary construction. I use a tem para-'- ture offrom 130 to 140 Fahrenheit, as against.

a temperature of from 175 to 250, used in- Besides the saving of fuel incommon kilns. cident to' this, there is a great advantage arising fromthe gradual character of the heating, which prevents the surface of thewoodfrom becoming baked and sealed, while'much of its moisture remains within toexpa'nd and check the wood by its escape through the dried and clogged surface.

It should be observed that when from any cause it becomes desirable to increase the condensin g power of the flattened nozzle the air for thesupply of the fan may be drawn from a refrigerating-chamber of any suitable construction.

I am aware that close kilns have'been used .and water-cooled condensers have been employed in them. Such a combination I- do not claim; but p What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, in adrying apparatiis, of

a close chamber controlled bya relief-valve,

steam heati-tig-pipes, a condensing-fan or airpump, and an air-cooled condenser formed by the flattened 'nozzleor 'tuy'ere of the fan, all constructed and arranged, forconjoint operation, substantially in theanannerdescribed;'

In testimony that I claim the foregoing asiny ow'ti i-nventionlafix my signatnreiii-presenee of two'- witnesses.

- GARRETT F. SPEEIL:

Witnesses L-. C-. YOUNG, Guns. F; STARS-BURY. 

